


First steps

by Aliceisophelia



Series: Reylo Week 2018 [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Pining, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo Week, Romantic Angst, Romantic Fluff, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 20:08:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14433138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliceisophelia/pseuds/Aliceisophelia
Summary: “I make you nervous.” She stated simply.The blood rushed to his face and it burned.“You know, when the tips of your ears turn red, you look like a boy. You look so much younger than you normally appear. I like you this way.” She admitted.“You make my heart catch in my throat, Rey. You make the world blur. I thought you understood. I asked you to stay with me and offered you the galaxy along with it. We’re the only ones that could possibly understand each other. You left me unconscious on the floor and ran back to that band of rag tag nomads. You clearly didn’t want me. That didn’t change my feelings about you, though. It doesn’t change what the Force wants either.” He said quietly, almost to the table rather than to her. She thought she saw his hands tremble as he spoke. Something in her that was dark and fierce reared its head protectively. Without thinking she reached for his hand and took it in hers. She was trying to sort through the storm of emotions inside of her but it stilled at the contact. The thrum of energy between them was momentarily deafening. He jerked his head up and they locked eyes. “Rey…”





	First steps

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of the story Echos in the Darkness that was posted for Reylo Week 2018. Today's theme is touch and where this is conservative in it's touching it's quality over quantity. Also, since this is a continuation, it does seem to jump in rather quickly. Please, read the first part of the story and it will make sense. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Kylo landed on the planet and was met with armed guards and Rey leading them. They searched him and cuffed his wrists, a formality, he knew. His eyes never left her and the intensity of his gaze made Rey nervous. She couldn’t figure out what he was up to. She tried searching his intent with the Force and was met with a durasteel wall. She was left out of the negotiations, at his request. That did not stop her from pacing the corridor outside. When the doors finally opened, he strode by her, taking her arm as he did. She jerked her arm away in frustration.

“Just what do you think you’re doing? Get your hands off me.” She growled at him.

“I”, he said with arrogance and authority, “am taking you home, my little scavenger.”

“WHAT?” she gaped at him.

“Your leaders have seen fit to have you be Ambassador of the Independent Systems to the First Order. You now live on the Supremacy with me. I assure you that this is for the best for both the Resistance and for yourself.” He explained as he gripped her arm again and lead her towards his ship. “Just think of all the intelligence you can leak back to your precious little traitors and all the official channels will be open to you. I won’t even try to stop you. You can even choke Hux at your leisure. All of your things will be packed and shipped to the Supremacy and we have reached a cease fire that is contingent on your staying with me. The First Order will attain no further planets in the galaxy that do not wish to join of their own free will. As of now, you belong to me, and your precious Resistance sold you off.” They had marched up the ramp of his ship and he had half tossed her on the cushioned bench.

“Now you can sit here and cry about how unfair it all is, or you can come to the cockpit and learn the controls of the Command ship. We’re expected back for dinner.” He said giving her a sideways glance as he headed towards the bow of the ship. The door hissed shut behind them. The darkness rippled with contentment knowing that he had her here with him and that she would not dare go anywhere.

Where could she go? Back to the Resistance that had sold her off like her parents? Back to Jakku, living her life as a scavenger slave? Rey knew she could not do any of these things but she did not know how she was expected to live with this man. Something deep within her whispered to her about how her life would be easier if she just gave in, if she just didn’t fight, if she just gave him what he wanted. She shivered and held herself tightly. Could they really have just sold her for peace? She knew that they could. What was one life in exchange for billions? A heavy feeling settled over her that she could not quite define and the silent tears spilling down her face burned her eyes. She laid down on the bench and curled into herself. This is not how she thought her visions would go. She thought he would turn to the light, come back to the Resistance, be with her. None of that had happened and something shadowy and dreadful wrapped itself around her mind.

When she woke she was in a large room decorated in deep blood reds and onyx. The bed was warm and soft and she was covered in a heavy blanket. There was a note beside the bed, hand written in perfect penmanship _. You looked cold._ She sat up rubbing her swollen eyes as a droid entered the room.

“You are requested at dinner. We have your attire laid out for you and your bath has been run. This way please.” It said mechanically. It was also not a request, despite what the droid had said. She followed it to the biggest ‘fresher she had ever seen and there in the middle was a huge, steaming, obsidian tub that was filled with more water than you could drink in a month. It smelled of perfume and oils and there were… there were flowers. The petals floating in the water were in contrast to everything else. They were blue and lilac and pink. After such a long day, she would allow herself this one thing before she had to fight a different kind of war, one she was unfamiliar with. She sank in the bath and it soothed her aching body, still stiff from sleeping on the bench. She wondered how she had gotten to the room. If he had carried her like he had done on Takodana or if he had a droid retrieve her. Somewhere in her aching heart she knew the answer. Kylo Ren was many terrifying things. Possibly the most terrifying thing of all was how gentle he was with her. There was no way he would have let anyone else touch her and she knew it. Yes, she would be safe here. No harm would ever come to her but she was a bird in a gilded cage. He would keep her here forever. She sank deeper in the water at the realization that this was her life now. Nothing would change that and there would be no rescue despite how Finn would protest. Her imprisonment meant freedom for billions. Even she would have accepted the deal had it been posed to her.

 Droids washed her hair and dressed her and applied more cosmetics than she had ever seen. They laid jewels across her neck, in her hair, on her ears and wrists. Clearly they were accustomed to dignitaries. The dress that was chosen for her was a shimmery black with crimson crystals highlighting the bodices plunging neckline and slowly fading out towards the hem which dragged the floor just slightly. She wondered what kind of state dinner this would be. For all this fuss she must be being introduced as Ambassador.

When the droid lead her into the appointed room she was slightly confused. There was a much smaller table than she had imagined. It was piled high with delicious smelling food and she had to admit she was ravenous after all the travel and stress. She looked up from the table to the port window and she saw him standing in the shadows, watching her. The look on his face was intense but she wasn’t sure what it meant. He stepped towards her slowly, as if he were trying to approach a frightened banta calf or some other dangerous creature.

“I thought with all this” she gestured to herself and her elaborate ensemble “that we would be having a lot more company for dinner.” She said wryly. Rey was never one to wallow in self-pity and she had already decided that if she was stuck here she was going to make the most of it. There had to be many advantages to being right in the heart of the First Order and she could gather enough intelligence to bring them down if she played her cards right. That was her only ticket to freedom and she would hang on to it until the time was right.

“I thought that might be overwhelming on your first night here. I didn’t want you to be any more uncomfortable than need be. The dress was purely because I have always wanted to see you in something you deserved.” His voice was thick on the last words. She was stunning and sparkling and he would drape her in ever finer things until she understood what it meant to belong to him. He would spoil her until she was ruined for all others. She would be hard pressed to ignore the amount of attention he was going to lavish her with. She was the center of his universe and the abyss within him swelled at the thought of undoing her hair and letting her dress fall to the floor and taking her here and now. He would have her, yes, but not yet. He wanted her to come to him of her own volition. Only then would he be truly satisfied. She had to want him as he wanted her and to accomplish that he would give her anything in the galaxy. Until then, he would start simply, with food. She had grown up fighting starvation. He wanted her to know that she would never have that feeling again. Not as long as she was his.

“Please, sit.” He gestured to the table as he moved around it and pulled her chair out for her. Once she was seated he took his place across from her. “I wasn’t sure what you would like so I ordered a little of everything.” He watched her face flush and felt her embarrassment. “What is it? Is the food not to your liking? I can order something else if you wish.”

“It’s just… this is so much. There is no way that I can eat all of this and it seems like so much waste. This would feed a village on Jakku. For days. I’ve never even seen this much food. I don’t know what half of it is!” She felt like a small child that lacked manners and grace. She was from a backwater world and had none of his refinement. He grew up in the Senate on the heels of his mother, learning from royalty. She hated admitting even to herself that she was ashamed but she didn’t know which utensil to use first or for what. She reminded herself that this was the same man that had cornered her like prey in her own ‘fresher, drenching himself in the process. He may have refinement but he was still savage and dangerous. Something in her belly knotted and heated at the memory. She hated how she felt about him. She hated the dreams that she had about him and the times she had given into those visions, touching herself until she found release. She had never told anyone and she was terrified of seeing him. She had pushed him out of their bond time and time again to avoid those feelings. Feelings he clearly shared from the way he was staring at her. It was unnerving and this close proximity was going to cause further complications. The sooner she got out of here the better.

He smiled at her and gestured for her permission to move closer. She begrudgingly nodded her approval. “Lets start with something simple” he said, removing a piece of fruit from a platter. He removed his gloves to strip the peel from its flesh. It was orangish yellow on the surface but he tore it open to reveal a blood red center. He removed a slice from it and held it up for her to taste. She stared at him and moved to take it from him. “Ah. No.” he said, pulling his hand back. She paused and settled her hands back in her lap and he held it up for her again. She leaned forward slightly and took the fruit in her teeth directly from his hand. It was sweet and the juices stained her lips crimson. He drew in a raspy shaking breath at the sight. The darkness in him roared to lick the juice from those stained lips and drowned her in his kisses until she begged him for release. He withdrew from her slightly.

“That is Corellian Blood Fruit.” He told her, diverting his eyes back to the small banquet laid before them.  “This is roasted reeho foul, that is derlac steak, this…this is some kind of soup…” he trailed off because he noticed she was staring at him wide eyed and knowingly.

“I make you nervous.” She stated simply.

The blood rushed to his face and it burned.

“You know, when the tips of your ears turn red, you look like a boy. You look so much younger than you normally appear. I like you this way.” She admitted.

“You make my heart catch in my throat, Rey. You make the world blur. I thought you understood. I asked you to stay with me and offered you the galaxy along with it. We’re the only ones that could possibly understand each other. You left me unconscious on the floor and ran back to that band of rag tag nomads. You clearly didn’t want me. That didn’t change my feelings about you, though. It doesn’t change what the Force wants either.” He said quietly, almost to the table rather than to her. She thought she saw his hands tremble as he spoke. Something in her that was dark and fierce reared its head protectively. Without thinking she reached for his hand and took it in hers. She was trying to sort through the storm of emotions inside of her but it stilled at the contact. The thrum of energy between them was momentarily deafening. He jerked his head up and they locked eyes. “Rey…”

She jerked her hand away as if burned by the touch and stood up quickly. She strode to the window trying to compose herself. She focused on the stars passing the view port and tried to slow her breathing. Surely this is not what the Force wanted. She stilled her thoughts and tried to discern what the will of the Force was. She did not want her need to bring Ben Solo back to the light to cloud her judgement in these dangerous matters. The entire galaxy should not be balanced on the feelings of two people on opposite sides of a war. She wanted to heal the scars in Ben’s soul, but did that mean giving hers up to do so? She wasn’t sure. She just knew that the Force crooned when they touched. It was electric and soothing at the same time.

He watched her as she stared out the window into the blackness. He had already pushed his luck, but he had been rewarded for his honesty. She may not have known what she was feeling but he did and it shook him in the pit of his soul. She had wanted to touch him. She wanted to comfort him but was afraid that he’d use that against her. She wanted to be honest and open and she had wanted him. He’d seen the flashes of her tears and loneliness, and flashes of her passion. She had touched herself while thinking of him and it took him more self-restraint than he thought he possessed to stay seated and give her space. That restraint was waning though. He stood and made his way over to her. She kept her back to him and he felt her conflict. Tentatively he placed his hands on her bare shoulders and he felt her sharp intake of breath. Leaning down he breathed in her scent.

“Rey, I would give you every star you see before you, but you don’t want it. I don’t know what else to offer you. I just know that I can’t stay sane and spend another day without you here with me. I can’t stop Hux from whatever madness he’s up to if all I can think about is you and where you are and what you’re doing with whom. I have never wanted anything more than I want you but you thew that in my face and walked away and I’m still here. What did you want me to do? You didn’t want me. All I was left with was the First Order. I can’t go to the Resistance. I wouldn’t if I could. There are too many flaws in the system. So I brought you here, the only way I could. Please, just sit and eat and talk with me. There’s time. Time to sort things out, time to change things. I didn’t bring you here to be a prisoner. I brought you here so that I could breathe and you could help me change things. Please, just have dinner with me.”

She turned and nodded to him, still too emotional to speak. They sat back down at the table and finished dinner with him explaining what each thing was, where it came from, and how it was eaten properly. They discussed the potential of rerouting trade to Outer Rim planets to stabilize the galactic economy and how that would piss off many of the planets in the Inner Rim but bring better lives to many of the more poverty stricken systems. She thought it was a sound plan and he explained how his mother had proposed something similar many times but the senate had turned it down each time due to the corruption and economic biases. She had to admit it was nice to simply have a conversation with him like she would have with anyone in the world. It was almost too easy to forget he was the Supreme Leader of the First Order and a deadly killer. Right now he was just Ben and he was just having dinner with her. When they had finished he escorted her back to her quarters.

At her door, they paused. “Thank you for dinner. I actually enjoyed it.” Rey said to him, looking down at her hands. “It was nice to have a normal conversation with you. I think I had tried to forget that you were… that you…”

“That I’m a human being and not a creature in a mask?” Kylo supplied.

“Yes.” She said sheepishly. “Something like that.”

“All I have ever wanted from you was a chance, Rey.”

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’ll see you in the morning. Rest well. We will have to introduce you to the Generals. They are not going to be kind but I have final say in the end. You will be privy to everything as Ambassador. I will hold your opinion in the highest esteem, even if I don’t always agree with it. Help me change things. You will see.”

That night Kylo didn’t have nightmares. He knew where she was. He knew that no one would touch her like they had in those visions. That she would stay and she would eventually be his. These were his first steps to finally have her by his side.


End file.
